Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - March 28–01

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - March 28–01 - Featured Image

Weekly Threat Briefing April 1, 2022

The Good

There is always a reason to celebrate when cybercriminals get busted. This week, the FBI dismantled a notorious cybercrime ring that stole millions of dollars from American businesses through business email compromise schemes. On a different note, we saw several positive developments in the form of international agreements on cybersecurity. For instance, Singapore and the U.S. agreed to strengthen their cooperation through a new annual cybersecurity dialogue.

  • Under “Operation Eagle Sweep,” the FBI dismantled a major cybercrime operation engaged in business email compromise schemes. Starting in September 2021, the authorities arrested 65 suspects in the United States, Nigeria, South Africa, Cambodia, and Canada.

  • The Australian government sets aside approximately $7.5 billion in funds for boosting cybersecurity and intelligence capabilities within the country.

  • A team of researchers designed a new system to tackle concerns related to invasive tracking. Dubbed Privid, the system enables video analytics in a privacy-preserving way.

  • U.S. lawmakers proposed a new bill that would focus on strengthening the cybersecurity posture of the American healthcare and public health sector. The Healthcare Cybersecurity Act aims to enhance collaboration between the CISA and the HHS.

  • The EU and the U.S. reached an agreement on reviving trans-Atlantic data flows deal. The deal would ensure “predictable, trustworthy data flows between the EU and the U.S., safeguarding privacy and civil liberties.”

  • Singapore and the U.S. will be holding a yearly dialogue as part of strengthening cooperation on combating cyberthreats while promoting resilience and securing critical infrastructure.

The Bad

The healthcare sector remains a favorite target of cyberattackers. This week a health plan provider for law enforcement officials, LEHB, disclosed falling prey to a ransomware attack that lead to huge data loss. Even the education sector has come under the attackers' crosshairs as the personal data of hundreds of thousands of NYC students was leaked. While looking for new jobs, beware of getting phished as thousands of fake job offers are being circulated by scammers.

  • The personal information of roughly 820,000 current and former New York City public school students was affected in a breach that occurred in January after threat actors gained unauthorized access to an online grading system and attendance system.

  • Hackers are compromising WordPress sites to use visitors’ browsers as a channel to launch DDoS attacks on Ukrainian websites belonging to government agencies, think tanks, recruitment sites for the International Legion of Defense of Ukraine, and banking.

  • Researchers are warning against active exploitation of the Log4Shell vulnerability, to deliver backdoors and cryptocurrency miners onto vulnerable VMware Horizon servers. The campaign leverages remote monitoring software packages, Atera or Spashtop, and the Sliver backdoor.

  • A threat actor dubbed RED-LILI was linked to an ongoing large-scale supply chain attack campaign that targets the NPM package repository. Researchers found nearly 800 malicious packages that were published in the repository via a fully-automated system that enabled the attacker to bypass the verification process.

  • Threat actors have been found sending nearly 4,000 phishing emails related to fake jobs to trick victims into sharing their personal data or committing money laundering. In order to look convincing, these phishing emails include logos for corporate brandings, spoofed university addresses, Google Forms, and fake checks.

  • A ransomware attack at Shutterfly affected the personal information of its employees. The attack occurred on December 3, 2021, after which the Conti ransomware group had leaked around 7.05GB of stolen data on its site. Apart from stealing employee data, the gang had also encrypted over 4,000 devices and 120 VMware ESXi servers.

  • Cyber attackers hacked the Ronin network of Axie Infinity, the blockchain-based game, and stole more than $620 million in cryptocurrency. They used hacked private keys to forge fake withdrawals.

  • The Lapsus$ gang announced its return on Telegram by leaking confidential information stolen from software firm Globant. Around 70GB of source code and administrator passwords associated with the firm’s Atlassian suite, stolen by threat actors, is available on their Telegram channel.

  • Law Enforcement Health Benefits (LEHB) disclosed a ransomware attack that occurred last year. According to the organization, attackers encrypted files on September 14, 2021. Among the files affected include the personal information of more than 85,000 users.

  • Hive ransomware gang has claimed to have stolen 850,000 PII records from Partnership HealthPlan of California (PHC). The stolen data includes names, social security numbers, and addresses of users. Around 400GB of stolen files from the healthcare organization’s server has been posted on Hive’s dark website.

  • Kaspersky unmasked North Korea state-backed hackers distributing an infected DeFi wallet for cryptocurrency assets. The campaign, possibly conducted by Lazarus, has the capability to gain full access to the targeted systems.

  • Phishers are abusing Microsoft Azure’s Static Web Apps service to steal Microsoft, Office 365, Outlook, and OneDrive credentials. Researchers noticed that threat actors leveraged custom branding and web hosting features to host static landing phishing pages. Each landing page automatically gets its own secure page padlock in the address bar due to the *.1.azurestaticapps.net wildcard TLS certificate.

  • Two vulnerabilities have been found affecting Rockwell Programmable Logic Controllers. They are tracked as CVE-2022-1161 and CVE-2022-1159. While the former affects numerous versions of Rockwell’s Logix Controllers, the latter impacts several versions of its Studio 5000 Logix Designer application. The flaws can allow attackers to launch Stuxnet-style attacks on PLCs.

**New Threats **

The last couple of months has been a fruitful time for data wipers. We found the seventh new wiper malware of the year in a new discovery this week. Dubbed AcidRain, it is raining attacks on modems and routers. A new conversation hijacking campaign was found propagating the IcedID trojan. You have heard about conventional obfuscation; now get ready for IPfuscation. This novel tactic is being used by Hive ransomware.

  • Avast has discovered a new Remote Access Tool (RAT) that is being actively used in the wild in the Philippines. The RAT leverages an expired digital certificate belonging to the Philippines Navy to communicate on the C2 server. According to researchers, the malware used in the campaign is written in C++.
  • The SunCrypt ransomware has been updated with new capabilities to terminate processes, stop services, and clean the machine of any evidence of the ransomware infection. The ransomware variant was first updated in 2022 and is still under development. The attackers also plan to include an anti-VM feature in the ransomware in the future.
  • Hive ransomware gang is using a new IPfuscation tactic to hide its payload. Here, the threat actors hide 64-bit Windows executables inside IPv4 addresses, which eventually causes the download of the Cobalt Strike Beacon.
  • Researchers detected a new conversation hijacking campaign that delivers the IcedID trojan onto the victim’s system. As part of the campaign, threat actors also used compromised Microsoft Exchange servers to send emails from the hijacked accounts. Organizations in the energy, healthcare, law, and pharmaceutical sectors have fallen victim to these attacks.
  • A new Transparent Tribe APT campaign targeting the Indian government and military officials has been uncovered by researchers. The campaign has been ongoing since June 2021 and uses fake domains mimicking legitimate sites to deliver Crimson RAT, a Python-based stager, and a NET-based downloader.
  • Researchers have discovered a new Wslink malware loader that runs as a server and executes modules in memory. The malware makes use of the process virtual machine as part of its obfuscation process.
  • A newly discovered malware loader, dubbed Verblecon, is being used to install cryptocurrency miners on infected machines. Despite being around for more than a year, the malware sample is able to maintain a low detection rate due to the polymorphic nature of the code. Researchers claim that cybercriminals may use the loader in the future to disseminate ransomware and even launch espionage attacks.
  • A new variant of Mars Stealer is being used widely in multiple large-scale attack campaigns. In one such campaign, threat actors were spotted using Google Ads for OpenOffice installer to distribute the malware variant. The campaign primarily targeted users in Canada. According to researchers, the new Mars variant is capable of pilfering browser auto-fill data, browser extension data, credit cards, IP address, country code, and timezone, among others.
  • A newly discovered Python-based ransomware has been found targeting the Jupyter Notebook tool to cause significant damage to organizations. The attackers are scanning the internet for applications that are left exposed with no passwords.
  • A new wave of Remcos RAT campaign, set around the payment remittance theme, has been observed by researchers. The emails appear to come from financial institutions and include a malicious Excel file that starts the infection chain process.
  • A Chinese hacking group Deep Panda targeted VMware Horizon servers to deploy a new rootkit called ‘Fire Chili’. The attack exploited Log4Shell vulnerability to gain initial access to networks. The rootkit enabled the attackers to evade detection on compromised systems.
  • A new information-stealing malware, named BlackGuard, is being sold on the hacking forum for a lifetime price of $700 or a subscription of $200 per month. The stealer can pilfer sensitive information from a broad range of applications, including web browsers, cryptocurrency wallets, messengers, and emails. The collected information is bundled in a ZIP file and sent to the C2 server via a POST request.
  • Researchers uncovered a new wiper malware that targets modems and routers. Dubbed AcidRain, the malware was first spotted on February 24 after a cyber attack rendered Viasat KA-SAT modems inoperable in Ukraine. The malware strikes similarities with VPNFilter.

Related Threat Briefings

Apr 11, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, April 07–11, 2025

The U.K. government rolled out a Cyber Governance Code of Practice aimed at directors and board members, not just CISOs. Backed by the NCSC and other national bodies, the code includes practical actions, modular training, and a board-level toolkit. Startups building the future of cyber defense are getting serious backing. The British Business Bank has committed most of a £50 million fund to Osney Capital, which will invest in early-stage cybersecurity companies across the U.K. A torrent download might be doing more than delivering cracked software. A campaign has been distributing ViperSoftX to Korean users, likely run by Arabic-speaking threat actors. Invasive spyware campaigns are zeroing in on high-risk communities. MOONSHINE and BADBAZAAR are being deployed through trojanized mobile apps to surveil Uyghur, Tibetan, and Taiwanese individuals, as well as civil society groups. Search for QuickBooks during tax season, and you might land on a trap. Threat actors are placing deceptive Google Ads that link to phishing pages almost identical to the real QuickBooks login portal. It starts with a PDF search and ends with malware on your machine. A new campaign is using fake CAPTCHAs and Cloudflare Turnstile to lure users into downloading LegionLoader. Seed phrases aren’t supposed to come from strangers. The PoisonSeed campaign is targeting crypto holders and enterprise users by compromising bulk email services. Victims are lured with fake wallet setup instructions that embed attacker-controlled recovery phrases - giving threat actors full access once the wallets are used. A Chinese-linked threat group, ToddyCat, has been exploiting a security vulnerability in ESET's software to deliver a new malware, TCESB, in Asia.

Mar 28, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, March 24–28, 2025

The U.K’s NCSC is putting domain abuse in its crosshairs. New guidance targets registrars with a push to curb malicious domain registrations and hijacks. The recommendations focus on tightening security at registration, offering enhanced protections to customers, and more. Europe is getting serious about the quantum future. ETSI has rolled out a new quantum-safe encryption standard featuring Covercrypt, a novel key encapsulation scheme with built-in access controls. By tying decryption permissions to user attributes, Covercrypt delivers speed and post-quantum security. Medusa isn’t just encrypting files, it’s dismantling defenses first. The RaaS has been leveraging a malicious driver called ABYSSWORKER in BYOVD attacks to disable endpoint protections. FamousSparrow has returned with new tools and a familiar agenda. The Chinese APT group was behind a July 2024 attack targeting a U.S. trade group and a Mexican research institute, deploying a web shell on an IIS server to drop SparrowDoor and ShadowPad. A supply chain attack snuck through npm by modifying what developers thought they could trust. Threat actors used two packages to inject malware into the widely used ethers library. Lucid isn’t just phishing - it’s engineering trust through your inbox. This advanced PhaaS platform weaponizes the built-in features of iMessage and RCS to create hyper-realistic scams. Known for years of corporate espionage, RedCurl has shifted gears with a new ransomware called QWCrypt. The malware was found in a North American network, targeting hypervisors for maximum disruption. PlayBoy Locker is offering ransomware with a user manual and tech support. The newly investigated RaaS platform operates on an affiliate model and comes packed with features. Targeting Windows, NAS, and ESXi systems, it moves laterally using LDAP scans and abuses Restart Manager DLLs to shut down active processes before encryption.

Mar 21, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, March 17–21, 2025

The race to outpace quantum threats is officially on. The NCSC has issued guidance to help organizations transition to post-quantum cryptography by 2035, with a focus on NIST-approved algorithms and planned support for critical sectors. A nationwide fraud crackdown ends with hundreds behind bars. Operation Henhouse led to 422 arrests and the seizure of millions in assets, as U.K. police target the country’s most widespread and costly crime - fraud. A threat actor briefly exposed their entire playbook. Researchers found a public server hosting tools tied to a campaign targeting South Korea, including a Rust-compiled payload delivering Cobalt Strike Cat and a list of over 1,000 potential targets. Phishing messages on Signal are leading to full system compromise. CERT-UA warns of DarkCrystal RAT attacks targeting Ukraine’s defense sector, using fake contacts and malicious files to trick victims into executing spyware. Ransomware slipped into VSCode under the radar. Two malicious extensions were discovered on the VSCode Marketplace, bypassing checks to deliver test-stage ransomware demanding ShibaCoin for decryption. Fake ads are being weaponized to steal Google credentials. A campaign targeting Semrush users is redirecting victims to spoofed login pages, where attackers harvest Google account logins through a fake “Log in with Google” prompt. A fake browser update could cost you more than a few clicks. A new ClearFake campaign is using fake reCAPTCHA and Turnstile pages to deliver malware like Lumma and Vidar Stealer, with payloads fetched through Binance’s Smart Chain. Hackers are quietly poisoning AI-generated code. A new supply chain attack targets AI editors like Copilot and Cursor, exploiting rules files to inject malicious prompts that trick the tools into writing compromised code.

Mar 14, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, March 10–14, 2025

A Russian hosting provider is feeling the heat from global sanctions. Australia, the U.K., and the U.S. have sanctioned Zservers, a bulletproof hosting provider linked to ransomware and fraud, freezing its assets and restricting operations. Switzerland is tightening its grip on cyber incident reporting. Starting April 1, critical infrastructure operatorsmust report cyberattacks to the NCSC within 24 hours, reinforcing national cybersecurity defenses. Cybercriminals are upgrading their toolkit for long-term access. Ragnar Loader is being leveraged by ransomware groups like FIN7, FIN8, and Ragnar Locker, evolving into a stealthier and more modular malware for persistent system compromise. Chinese hackers are slipping past defenses in Juniper routers. The UNC3886 threat group is backdooring older Juniper MX routers, bypassing security protections and embedding custom TinyShell malware to maintain access. North Korean hackers are adding ransomware to their arsenal. Moonstone Sleet (Storm-1789) is deploying Qilin ransomware, using fake companies and trojanized tools to infiltrate targets through LinkedIn and freelance platforms. A botnet is turning home routers into attack platforms. The Ballista botnet is exploiting an unpatched TP-Link Archer router flaw (CVE-2023-1389) to spread stealthily, using Tor domains and remote command execution to launch DDoS attacks worldwide. Copy, paste, and lose your crypto. MassJacker hijacks clipboard transactions, swapping wallet addresses with attacker-controlled ones, stealing funds from victims who unknowingly send money to the wrong destination. A fake CAPTCHA is all it takes to get root access. The OBSCURE#BAT campaign is using social engineering tactics to install the r77 rootkit, bypassing defenses and targeting English-speaking users with stealthy, persistent malware.

Mar 7, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, March 03–07, 2025

The code caves of GitHub just got a cleanup crew courtesy of Microsoft. A sprawling malvertising campaign that snagged nearly a million devices worldwide has been knocked down a peg. Cheap Android gadgets are getting a breather from a relentless digital pest. The BadBox 2.0 botnet, a souped-up sequel backed by multiple threat crews, saw 24 shady apps booted from Google Play and half a million infected devices cut off from their puppet masters, thanks to some crafty sinkholing and Google’s cleanup sweep. A sneaky gatecrasher has turned WordPress into a redirect rollercoaster. A malicious JavaScript injection lurking in a theme file has snagged at least 31 sites, pulling visitors through a two-step detour to shady third-party domains. Japan’s digital defenses are under siege from a shadowy crew with a taste for chaos. Since January, unknown threat actors have been prying open organizations in tech, telecom, entertainment, and more, exploiting CVE-2024-4577 in PHP-CGI on Windows. Crooks posing as the Electronic Frontier Foundation are targeting Albion Online players with phishing emails and fake PDFs, claiming account trouble. It’s a ruse to drop Stealc malware and Pyramid C2. A fresh face in the cybercrime underworld is juggling a bag of nasty surprises. EncryptHub is hitting users of QQ Talk, WeChat, Google Meet, and more with trojanized apps and slick multi-stage attacks. The Eleven11bot botnet, loosely tied to Iran, has taken over 86,000 IoT devices to slam telecoms and gaming servers with relentless DDoS barrages. Social media’s sunny side has a dark shadow creeping across the Middle East and North Africa. Since September 2024, Desert Dexter has been slinging a tweaked AsyncRAT via legit file-sharing sites and Telegram. For detailed Cyber Threat Intel, click ‘Read More’.

Feb 21, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, February 17–21, 2025

Google is stepping up its defenses against the quantum threat. The company is rolling out quantum-resistant digital signatures in Cloud KMS, following NIST’s post-quantum cryptography standards. Supply chain attacks just got harder to pull off. Apiiro has released two open-source tools to detect malicious code in software projects. With high detection rates across PyPI and npm packages, these tools add a crucial layer of security for developers. China’s Salt Typhoon is making itself at home in global telecom networks. The group has been caught using JumbledPath, a custom-built spying tool, to infiltrate ISPs in the U.S., Italy, South Africa, and Thailand. ShadowPad malware is once again causing havoc in Europe. Trend Micro flagged 21 targeted companies across 15 countries, with manufacturing firms bearing the brunt. A RAT is hiding in plain sight. SectopRAT has been spotted disguised as a fake Google Docs Chrome extension. It steals browser data, targets VPNs and cryptocurrency wallets, and injects malicious scripts into web pages. Darcula Suite is taking PhaaS to the next level. The upcoming update, currently in beta, will let users generate their own phishing kits by cloning real websites and customizing attack elements. A new payment card skimming campaign is turning Stripe’s old API into a weapon. Hackers are injecting malicious scripts into checkout pages, validating stolen card details through Stripe before exfiltration. LummaC2 is spreading through cracked software downloads again. ASEC found it disguised as a pirated Total Commander installer, hiding behind Google Collab Drive and Reddit links.

Feb 14, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, February 10–14, 2025

Cyber defenders are sharpening their tools, and EARLYCROW is the latest weapon against stealthy APT operations. This method detects C2 activity over HTTP(S) using a novel traffic analysis format called PAIRFLOW. India is taking digital banking security up a notch. The RBI is launching a dedicated domain to curb financial fraud and enhance trust in online banking. Starting April 2025, financial institutions will register under this domain. China’s RedMike hackers are dialing into telecom networks - literally. Between December 2024 and January 2025, they targeted over 1,000 unpatched Cisco devices. Their primary focus? Global telecoms and university networks in Argentina, Bangladesh, and the U.S. Russia’s Sandworm hackers are using pirated software as bait. Their latest attack on Ukrainian Windows users disguises malware inside trojanized KMS activators and fake Windows updates. Love is in the air, but so are phishing scams. In late January, cybercriminals launched a Valentine’s-themed phishing campaign, offering fake gift baskets in exchange for stolen credentials. Cybercriminals are upping their game with Astaroth, a phishing kit that doesn’t just steal credentials but also hijacks entire sessions. By using a reverse proxy, Astaroth intercepts logins and 2FA tokens in real time, allowing attackers to bypass security measures undetected. South America’s foreign ministry was caught in the crosshairs of an advanced cyber-espionage campaign. In November 2024, attackers linked to REF7707 deployed the PATHLOADER and FINALDRAFT malware to infiltrate diplomatic networks. A new malware named Ratatouille is stirring up trouble by bypassing UAC and using I2P for anonymous communications. Spreading through phishing emails and fake CAPTCHA pages, it tricks victims into running an embedded PowerShell script.

Feb 7, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, February 03–07, 2025

PyPI is taking a "dead but not gone" approach to abandoned software with Project Archival, a new system that flags inactive projects while keeping them accessible. Developers will see warnings about outdated dependencies, helping them make smarter security choices and avoid relying on unmaintained code. The U.K is bringing earthquake-style metrics to cybersecurity with its new Cyber Monitoring Centre, designed to track digital disasters as precisely as natural ones. Inspired by the Richter scale, the CMC will quantify cyber incidents based on financial impact and affected users, offering clearer insights for national security planning. Kimsuky is back with another phishing trick, this time using fake Office and PDF files to sneak forceCopy malware onto victims' systems. Its latest campaign delivers PEBBLEDASH and RDP Wrapper by disguising malware as harmless shortcuts, ultimately hijacking browser credentials and sensitive data. Hackers have found a new way to skim credit card data - by hiding malware inside Google Tag Manager scripts. CISA is flagging major security holes in Microsoft Outlook and Sophos XG Firewall, urging agencies to patch them before February 27. One flaw allows remote code execution in Outlook, while another exposes firewall users to serious risks. Bitcoin scammers are switching tactics, swapping static images for video attachments in MMS to make their schemes more convincing. A recent case involved a tiny .3gp video luring victims into WhatsApp groups where scammers apply pressure to extract money or personal data. XE Group has shifted from credit card skimming to zero-day exploitation, now targeting manufacturing and distribution companies. A new version of ValleyRAT is making the rounds, using stealthy techniques to infiltrate systems. Morphisec found the malware being spread through fake Chrome downloads from a fraudulent Chinese telecom site.

Jan 10, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, January 06–10, 2025

The U.K is fortifying its digital defenses with the launch of Cyber Local, a £1.9 million initiative to bridge cyber skills gaps and secure the digital economy. Spanning 30 projects across England and Northern Ireland, the scheme emphasizes local business resilience, neurodiverse talent, and cybersecurity careers for youth. Across the Atlantic, the White House introduced the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark, a consumer-friendly cybersecurity labeling program for smart devices. Overseen by the FCC, the initiative tests products like baby monitors and security systems for compliance with rigorous cybersecurity standards, ensuring Americans can make safer choices for their connected homes. China-linked threat actor RedDelta has ramped up its cyber-espionage activities across Asia, targeting nations such as Mongolia, Taiwan, Myanmar, and Vietnam with a modified PlugX backdoor. Cybercriminals have weaponized trust by deploying a fake PoC exploit tied to a patched Microsoft Windows LDAP vulnerability. CrowdStrike reported a phishing operation impersonating the company, using fake job offers to lure victims into downloading a fraudulent CRM application. Once installed, the malware deploys a Monero cryptocurrency miner. A new Mirai-based botnet, dubbed Gayfemboy, has emerged as a formidable threat, leveraging zero-day exploits in industrial routers and smart home devices. With 15,000 active bot nodes daily across China, the U.S., and Russia, the botnet executes high-intensity DDoS attacks exceeding 100 Gbps. In the Middle East, fraudsters are posing as government officials in a social engineering scheme targeting disgruntled customers. Cybercriminals have weaponized WordPress with a malicious plugin named PhishWP to create realistic fake payment pages mimicking services like Stripe. The plugin not only captures payment details in real time but also sends fake confirmation emails to delay detection.